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About akesinger

Movie lovers and book fanatics reunite again as Angie Thomas’ best selling book hits the theater on October 19th. The Hate U Give portrays the trials of a black teenage girl living in the ghetto, and how her race is treated. The protagonist, Starr, lives a double life between commuting to a predominately white private school in a privileged area to living in Garden Heights, an economically deprived community rich in black culture. Thomas attempts and succeeds at educating her readers on the mistreatment towards African Americans, and how to rise against it.

For me, I thoroughly enjoyed the read due to how different each character is and how it can potentially relate to almost every one of the readers by the meaningful characters throughout the story and their reactions when Starr becomes an activist. Thomas wastes no time and starts her book off with the reason Starr raises her voice and stands up. Her long time friend Khalil is shot and killed by a white officer. There was no immediate justice for Khalil, he was quickly becoming forgotten until Starr realizes how this won’t stop unless someone fights for it.

A struggle for Starr was the fact that her double life was beginning to merge into one. This led to drama with her friends, growing family issues, and struggles with her boyfriend. Thomas perfectly describes the average American teenager- except they don’t usually have to fight for justice.

With all the trials and tribulations Starr goes through, she is strong. I am excited for the movie and to watch peoples reactions to not-so-uncommon-things even in this day and age and i look forward to the acknowledgment black individuals deserve.

I awake
And the sea is beckoning.
I long to travel past the silent white wavebreak
Further and further and further until I reach the point in the distance that only I can see
Where the waves are relentless and tempting
And there are no hands to pull me out,
Only pressure to pull me under.

I awake
And the ocean is threatening.
As I stand on the bluff,
I think of nothing, Ithinkofeverything.
Black-indigo water churns below me, chanting in a language I learned long ago;
The darkness laps at my feet, teasing me with a sense of humor I’ll soon learn to appreciate.
I close my eyes,
Forget,
And before I know it
I’m swimming once again.

I awake
And the tide is calm.
During the day
A toddler plays beside me
Under an umbrella,
Safe from the sun’s harsh rays.
Under his breath he mumbles nonsense,
And I smile to no one
As he carefully buries his legs in the sand.

At night
I lay under the sky
Watching the clouds spin,
Listening to the waves break, chanting the lyrics to the song in my head,
Smelling the salty breeze as it whispers across the holes in my sweater,
Feeling your arms wrapped looselytightly around me
And knowing that no matter how rough the sea churns,
You will never let me drown.

Many years in the future there exists a place, so similar to the world we live in now, but also so different. For in this future world, magic exists. Not magic, exactly, but Rithmatics, the ability to bring chalk drawings and lines to life in fantastic ways. Rithmatists don’t get to decide to master this art, they are given the power at their Inception ceremony when they are young. If one is granted the power, they train for a few years before going off to fight in the Hell-ish land known as Nebrask. If one is not granted the power, they must live their life as an ordinary person, having no connection to this powerful art of Rithmatics, no matter how much they wish to. That is the case for the young Chalkmaker’s son, Joel, who wants more than anything else to master Rithmatics, but is shut out due to his lack of Rithmatic abilities. That is, until Joel finds himself in the middle of a series of strange kidnappings, seemingly committed by a Rithmatist, and he may be the only one who can solve them before it’s too late.

I was very impressed with The Rithmatist‘s ability to not be cliché. Brandon Sanderson does an incredible job leading the reader on to believe something will happen and then creating a completely different turn of events. While this can be disappointing at times, it helps to keep the story from being predictable. Another unique aspect of this book is the fact that there are lessons on how to draw Rithmatic lines in between the chapters, detailing different defenses and attacks, which helped me to picture the story and it’s Rithmatic scenes.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to people who love Science Fiction or Fantasy, or just books in general, because it truly is fantastic.

There was a time in my life when I talked about books as though they were sustenance, as though they were essential to my survival. I devoured stories and inhaled pages. I vividly remember checking out four, five, six books at time and somehow finishing them all before the two weeks were up. Though that experience is shared with many people, a majority of adults fail to make time for reading.

I often wonder where that passion goes.

To most people, reading is thought of as a chore, or something for the forgotten bottom end of a to-do list. Reading is a fizzling New Year’s Resolution. Reading is a Barnes & Noble credit card but dusty shelves. When people talk about getting back into reading, it is as though they are starting a new project at work, as though they are radically changing their schedules.

New units of time have to be carved out of a schedule, clearly labeled “READ” in blocky black lettering. Books fill shopping bags, along with all the obviously necessary accessories to reading – fancy bookmarks and clip on lights and slogan-laden tote bags – because now, you are a Reader.

There is something lost in this frenzy. In this sort of Oprah’s Book Club, unbroken-spine kind of reading, books are a status symbol.

I find myself in this rut occasionally. Rearranging and rearranging the same shelves with an obsessiveness, buying War and Peace and Les Miserables because they’re the sort of books a pretentious academic like myself should have.

I miss that feeling that all library-bound children have. That feeling that there were an infinite amount of words in the world, and if I only read fast enough, flipped enough pages, then I would be able to drink them all in.

So many people have a desire to read; to become that excited kid again. We want to be the one who’s not only Heard of That, but Read It. We want to know authors and quotes and have worn paperbacks to pass on to friends and family. We want to feel that love and intensity that stories used to inspire.

I truly believe that feeling is still inside every adult today. Maybe it’s buried under stress and deadlines and distraction, but it’s there.

I saw Lights Out with some of my friends thinking it would be quite scary, and I mentally prepared myself for the worst. But, after the movie, I was quite surprised on how it was a joke to call Lights Out a ‘horror movie.’

Lights Out is based on David Sandberg’s original short story film from 2013. The story of the movie was quite like a thriller novel. Which leads me to say that I think Lights Out would have been even better, if there was a novel along with it! The film contained many moments where the characters just screams. If this where a novel, the author could show what the character was actually felt on the inside. I think that if there was a book to go along with the movie, that would be even better.

Now, to give my movie review. As I said before, I think it would be a joke to call Lights Out a horror movie, because to me, there wasn’t anything scary! After watching the movie, I happened to catch the trailer again on T.V. and realized a big fact: that all the scary scenes shown in the trailer are all that was in the movie! Another big point: to advertise their movie, if you notice the trailer close enough, the studio suggests that you shouldn’t sit with anyone who would judge you. This makes you think, “Wow! I need to go with my friends because it is so scary!” In my opinion, that is a very clever advertising scheme applied.

Overall, if the movie were a little scarier and a thrilling book to go along with it, that would have made the Lights Out experience a little more scarier to me.

This horror story takes place in a old manor in New Jersey. Jen Noonan and her father move to a quiet town to enjoy a fresh start after an unfortunate incident with Jen’s mother. At first, the move didn’t seem so terrible. Jen meets new friends and finds her place among the people. But as her stay at Harmony House continued, it becomes clear that anyone that stepped foot in the house was no longer safe.

The house holds dark secrets which are slowly revealed to Jen in visions and dreams beyond her control. These flashes into the past help her put together the history of the manor and discover how she is connected to it. Towards the beginning, Jen’s father is introduced as a believer of God, and as the story continues he acts in a way that even the main character fights against because it is absolutely ridiculous.

As annoying and extreme as his personality may be, it is crucial to the development of the story, so I painfully endured the character because I was interested to see where it would lead. The book was very well thought out and is a captivating read. I, personally, would not choose to read it again because when I pick up a horror story I expect to be scared and Harmony House didn’t do that for me. However, I would still recommend this story to a mature audience that enjoys this genre.

These novels were published together in a single volume by the title Country Bride.

Country Bride by Debbie Macomber:
As summer approaches its midway point, I find myself scouring some previously unvisited nooks of the library for lighthearted and quick, but meaningful reads. Country Bride by Debbie Macomber met all of these expectations and more.

This book begins when Kate Logan decides to attend her ex’s wedding. Struggling to try to get over her heartbreak on the night of the wedding, she welcomes the emotional support of her longtime best friend, Luke Rivers. However, that night, after one too many glasses of champagne, Kate proposes to him; the next day, Luke refuses to revoke his promise to marry her. Guarded and broken-hearted, Kate must decide whether or not love is worth the feeling of vulnerability.

I recommend this books to fans of Nicholas Sparks, Sarah Dessen, and John Green for its lighthearted, truthful, and cleverly written love story.

Woodrose Mountain by RaeAnne Thayne:
As soon as I read Chapter One, I knew I’d absolutely adore this novel. Centered around the life of former rehab physical therapist Evie Blanchard when she is asked by wealthy businessman Brodie Thorne to work with his severely injured daughter, Taryn. Evie is extremely reluctant to return to her practice, but Brodie is persistent. Determined to get Taryn the rehab she requires, he eventually succeeds in convinces Evie to oversee Taryn’s treatment.

With heartfelt and meaningful underlying themes and captivating characters, I highly recommend this story to fans of House Rules by Judi Picoult, It’s Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini, or to anyone looking for a good quick read.

-Danielle K.

This two-book edition of Country Bride by Debbie Macomber and RaeAnne Thayne is available for download from Overdrive.